Clock Face c. 1936

Ann Gene Buckley made this clock face drawing, and right away I am imagining her at her table, conjuring this image with pencil, ink, and watercolor. The Roman numerals march around the perimeter, each one flanked by little pink flowers. There's something so delicate and considered here, a real sense of craft and care. I imagine Buckley patiently building up the layers of color, watching the image come into being. The colors in the flowers are so precise and delicate, which gives them a sense of weightlessness, as if she is trying to capture a fleeting impression. It's like she's trying to freeze time even as she depicts it! It makes me think of the Pattern and Decoration movement, where artists sought to elevate so-called decorative arts to the level of high art. I mean, who says a clock face can't be a work of art? Buckley reminds us that painting can transform the mundane into something beautiful and meaningful.